"Nothing wrong
with that," insisted Coke, whose spiked hairdo is easily the most
outrageous and provocative on the team.

Lest you think Jim Hawkins' description of Coke's Mohawk is intended to scare women and children, we're talking about a gel-aided, free-standing follicular structure that spits in the face of conformity. And given that Coke used to play with the Yankees, where long locks and scruffy beards go to die, the man was probably itching to express some creativity with his scalp.

Welcome to Detroit. We'll take your Mohawks. Especially if you can strike out Mark Teixeira or Justin Morneau when called from the bullpen.

(I know I felt inspired to join the Mohawk club upon hearing the news last week. And had a set of clippers been nearby - as well as several adult beverages - I may well have sheared the sides of my head. Either that, or I knew my mother would be outraged. But that's why these guys are professional athletes, and I'm just a blogger. They go out and do it. I just sit on my couch and wish.)

But could the ranks of Motown's latest incarnation of Bad Boys be thinning out? Last week, Alex Avila decided that looking like Travis Bickle while speaking at a fundraiser might not be the best way to go. Between that, and disapproval from his fiancee, Avila shaved off his hair fin and rejoined normal society.

And now, as reported by our own James Schmehl on Twitter, Brandon Inge has also decided the Mr. T look doesn't suit him. Presumably, Inge's 2-for-16 performance with the Mohawk factored into the shave-off. He insists, however, that his significant other did not influence the decision. (Inge showed he was a veteran with that one. Avila's admission was clearly a rookie mistake.)

So that leaves the Tigers pitchers to wave the Mohawk flag. This whole idea was concocted by the bullpen in the first place. (See what happens when you give a bunch of guys innings upon innings to think about ways to express team camaraderie? Spitting sunflower seeds and choreographing leg crossings only provides so much amusement.)

Inge represented the infielders and Avila stood for the catchers, while Johnny Damon arguably let his hair speak for the outfielders (though he sported a faux-hawk that still looked acceptable in social circles). But really, it's been the bullpen (along with Jeremy Bonderman, who's never kept much hair on his head) that's taken this movement most seriously. And as my fellow Cutoff Man contributor Matt Sussman wagers, it will be a reliever who takes this thing as far as it can go.

According to sources in the Tigers' clubhouse, Joel Zumaya is the one who suggested the Mohawks in the first place. So it seems rather likely that he'll be the last to cave in to conformity. And should it be any other way? Don't back down, Zoomie.